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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stock — goods
  4. lean — thin
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — shares
  10. charge — a price
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lean — to bend
  14. current — happening now
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — for sport
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. field — farmland
  22. charge — in control
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. leaves — to go away

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