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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. lean — thin
  3. face — to confront
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — electric
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. face — to point toward
  24. current — happening now

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