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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. shower — rain
  11. current — happening now
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — hasty
  14. current — electric
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mine — for digging
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rash — a series
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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