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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. present — there
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. lean — thin
  6. current — happening now
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — the fish
  10. present — the time now
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — electric
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. bass — low music
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — for money
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com