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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lean — thin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — a line
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — happening now
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. clip — a video
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. current — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. current — electric
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chip — to eat
  24. clip — for paper

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