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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. kick — in football
  7. current — happening now
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — high quality
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fall — to drop
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — all right
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. current — electric
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kick — a thrill

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