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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — happening now
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — a division
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. current — of water
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. face — to confront
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lean — thin
  24. snap — to click

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