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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. prune — to trim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. current — of water
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — happening now
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. current — electric
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lean — to bend
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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