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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. row — to paddle
  3. lean — thin
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — for sport
  9. current — electric
  10. field — farmland
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — a subject
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a line
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rock — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. rock — a stone

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