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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spell — a short time
  3. current — electric
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — letters
  6. squash — the sport
  7. current — of water
  8. race — a contest
  9. can — a tin
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lean — thin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. current — happening now
  18. spell — magic
  19. can — a tin
  20. staff — employees
  21. lean — to bend
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. can — to be able to

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