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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: cold · firm · leaves · lean · sharp · current · bulb · fork

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — clever
  5. current — of water
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. lean — to bend
  10. firm — a company
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. current — happening now
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. firm — steady
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fork — in a road
  24. leaves — of a tree

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