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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lean — to bend
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fork — a garden tool

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