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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 124 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. current — electric
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lean — thin
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — happening now
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. swing — music
  14. chest — a box
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. current — of water
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fork — to eat with

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