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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: game · snap · current · squash · sharp · prune · ground · lean

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. game — a match
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. prune — to trim
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to click
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. current — happening now
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lean — thin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. prune — to trim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. game — wild animals
  22. sharp — clever
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. lean — to bend

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