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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — the animal
  4. dip — to sink
  5. current — electric
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a great time
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. file — a tool
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. current — happening now
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bear — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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