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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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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: lean · cold · present · mate · club · pound · current · object

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. club — for golf
  5. object — to protest
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pound — a weight
  9. object — a thing
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. current — of water
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — a gift
  16. lean — thin
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. mate — a friend
  23. present — there
  24. mate — a partner

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