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

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — to rob
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mug — a cup
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — finally
  18. current — happening now
  19. foot — a measure
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. last — final
  23. mug — a face
  24. lean — to rest against

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