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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — a trail
  4. spell — letters
  5. lean — thin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. current — electric
  8. staff — employees
  9. current — happening now
  10. object — an aim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — magic
  14. object — a thing
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — to bend
  21. drill — the tool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. drill — army training
  24. wave — of the sea

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