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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. shower — to wash
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spell — magic
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. current — happening now
  14. spell — a short time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — a container
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — rain
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — letters
  23. current — of water
  24. chair — a professorship

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