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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. current — electric
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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