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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — of water
  13. squash — to crush
  14. lean — thin
  15. spring — of water
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — the sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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