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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — happening now
  3. drill — a practice
  4. current — electric
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. spell — a short time
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pop — music
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — to visit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — of water
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — letters
  18. pop — soda
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. drill — army training
  21. perch — the fish
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to click

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