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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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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: current · fall · race · nail · cell · saw · lean · swing

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. race — humankind
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cell — a phone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — thin
  11. current — happening now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. fall — to drop
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. race — a contest
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — music
  21. current — electric
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. fall — the season
  24. saw — the tool

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