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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: bank · toast · tear · land · current · roll · ruler · wave

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. current — electric
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. land — to come down
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. tear — to rip
  9. roll — a list
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — happening now
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. current — of water
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. roll — on a roll

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