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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — electric
  3. kick — in football
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — happening now
  9. spell — a short time
  10. current — of water
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. staff — a stick
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. hide — to keep secret

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