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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — electric
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. object — a thing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mug — to rob
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. file — a document
  20. object — an aim
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mug — a cup
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bulb — for light

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