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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — a video
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. scale — in music
  13. current — happening now
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. lean — thin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. club — for golf
  24. mouse — the animal

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