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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bound — certain
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — obliged
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. ground — a position
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — electric
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. current — of water
  24. ground — the earth

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