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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. current — electric
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — the amount
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. content — happy
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fall — the season
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lean — to bend

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