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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bound — certain
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to click
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. bore — to drill
  13. lean — thin
  14. pit — in a race
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cell — in biology
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cell — in a prison

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