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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. prune — to trim
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. current — of water
  13. staff — employees
  14. current — happening now
  15. fall — the season
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a match
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. prune — to trim

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