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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — electric
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. current — happening now
  7. bore — to tire
  8. press — a publisher
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. current — of water
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — a series
  17. plane — a tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — an untruth

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