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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. prune — to trim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — happening now
  23. wind — moving air
  24. squash — to crush

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