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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: face · object · current · mine · clip · bore · suit · jam

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. face — part of the head
  5. current — of water
  6. suit — in cards
  7. object — an aim
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. current — happening now
  11. mine — for digging
  12. clip — for paper
  13. suit — clothes
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. current — electric
  16. clip — a video
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. face — to point toward
  20. suit — to fit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bore — to drill
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. face — to confront

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