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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. current — happening now
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cap — a lid

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