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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. root — of a word
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stem — to come from
  13. current — happening now
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to bend
  23. current — of water
  24. rash — a series

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