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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. current — electric
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — happening now
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rest — a break
  17. wound — an injury
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — thin
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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