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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: date · current · rush · tear · swing · rock · lean · press

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — electric
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — hurry
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rock — a stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. press — a publisher
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lean — thin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. swing — in golf
  17. press — to push
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. swing — music
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — music
  24. current — of water

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