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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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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: mine · snap · tear · object · mate · season · cold · current

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — in sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. object — a thing
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mine — for digging
  10. object — to protest
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mate — to breed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to click
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a friend
  22. season — of the year
  23. current — electric
  24. object — an aim

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