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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rest — a break
  6. current — electric
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — happening now
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. lean — thin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bound — obliged

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