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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bank — for money
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lean — to bend
  9. squash — the sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. current — of water
  24. net — after costs

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