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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bank — for money
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — soda
  15. lean — thin
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. perch — the fish
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — in music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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