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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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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 · swing · lean · firm · rule · wave · date · hand

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. current — electric
  3. rule — a law
  4. date — the fruit
  5. current — happening now
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hand — help
  8. lean — to bend
  9. swing — to play on
  10. firm — steady
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. swing — in golf
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rule — government
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. firm — decided
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lean — thin
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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