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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spring — of water
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rash — a series
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — electric
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. club — a group
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — a coil
  21. club — for golf
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — happening now

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