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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: roll · wind · wave · foot · prune · field · current · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. wind — moving air
  7. field — a subject
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. current — of water
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — for sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — electric
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. field — farmland
  23. roll — a cake
  24. current — happening now

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