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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. deal — to handle
  4. press — a publisher
  5. current — electric
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — a video
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — to shout
  19. press — to push
  20. land — to come down
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. deal — an agreement

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