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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. key — in music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. game — a match
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — happening now

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