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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stock — shares
  11. plane — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — goods
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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