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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. lean — thin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. clip — for paper
  6. present — a gift
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — to cut
  17. current — electric
  18. present — the time now
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. clip — a video
  22. court — of law
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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