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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cap — of ice
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lean — thin
  11. current — happening now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — a series
  16. cap — a hat
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chest — a box
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rash — hasty
  24. chest — of your body

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