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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — of water
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. root — the cause
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chest — a box
  18. current — happening now
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

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