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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lean — to bend
  4. field — farmland
  5. lean — thin
  6. cue — a signal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. craft — boats
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. field — for sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — electric
  23. perch — the fish
  24. field — a subject

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