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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kick — in football
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. lean — thin
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tear — to rip
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. craft — boats

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