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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — of water
  3. land — to come down
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lean — thin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fall — the season
  10. row — a line
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — ground
  13. current — electric
  14. field — a subject
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — farmland
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — a country
  22. rush — hurry
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fall — to drop

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