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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · tear · sharp · mine · track · lie · wave · current

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. current — happening now
  3. mine — for digging
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. current — electric
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. current — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. track — a song

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