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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lean — to bend
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. row — a line
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. perch — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. object — an aim
  19. branch — a division
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — to confront
  24. current — of water

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