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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. current — of water
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. net — after costs
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — happening now
  21. rush — hurry
  22. field — for sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. mug — a cup

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