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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bank — for money
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. object — to protest
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bank — for money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. object — an aim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. object — a thing
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bank — of a river
  23. current — of water
  24. file — a line of people

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