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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — of water
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — of water
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — letters
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. current — happening now
  22. lean — thin
  23. spell — magic
  24. rush — to hurry

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