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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. key — for a lock
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. march — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. firm — steady
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — thin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. firm — decided
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — electric
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. current — happening now
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. key — in music
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. firm — a company

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