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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. current — happening now
  6. board — to get on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. board — a committee
  13. current — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. perch — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. current — electric
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — a country
  23. degree — temperature
  24. perch — for a bird

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