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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 120 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: race · lean · file · wind · pitcher · rush · foot · current

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lean — thin
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. file — a document
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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