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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: object · trunk · current · lean · patient · snap · season · race

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. current — happening now
  9. lean — thin
  10. object — a thing
  11. current — electric
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — to protest
  15. current — of water
  16. object — an aim
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. race — a contest
  24. patient — a sick person

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