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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a ring
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — of water
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a music group
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — in music
  24. perch — the fish

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