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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. club — for golf
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spell — letters
  9. spring — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spring — the season
  23. current — electric
  24. club — for dancing

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