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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. field — a subject
  13. wind — moving air
  14. shower — to wash
  15. swing — in golf
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — electric
  18. lean — thin
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. current — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — moving air

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