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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. current — of water
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lean — thin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pop — music
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — to come from
  14. current — electric
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lean — to bend
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. current — happening now
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rule — a law

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