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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. current — electric
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — happening now
  16. ground — a position
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — of water
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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