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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · game · clip · cell · current · foot · pop · hide

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to bend
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — music
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. clip — to cut
  18. game — a match
  19. clip — a video
  20. pop — soda
  21. game — wild animals
  22. current — of water
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — to visit

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