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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — of water
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. current — happening now
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — to bend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — a box
  18. lean — thin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bore — to tire
  21. snap — to click
  22. degree — an amount
  23. current — electric
  24. spring — the season

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