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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: game · mark · leaves · current · wake · lean · rock · clip

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — of water
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mark — a grade
  10. clip — to cut
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. lean — thin
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — a trail
  15. current — electric
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rock — music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mark — a trace
  20. current — happening now
  21. rock — a stone
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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