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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — happening now
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. march — the month
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. current — electric
  21. spell — magic
  22. march — the month
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — of water

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