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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bank — for money
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. lean — thin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spring — the season
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. current — happening now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — for money
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bank — of a river

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