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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. firm — steady
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a document
  9. firm — decided
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — a hole
  15. cell — a phone
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. current — happening now
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. track — a song
  22. pit — in a race
  23. firm — a company
  24. tear — to rip

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