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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
468
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: current · land · bulb · racket · fall · ground · kick · row

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. row — a line
  3. land — ground
  4. current — of water
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fall — to drop
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — in football
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. fall — to drop
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — a position
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fall — the season

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