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

Word bank: ruler · current · land · swing · chest · fall · bear · saw

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — music
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. land — ground
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. current — of water

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