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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: current · wind · lean · bulb · kid · game · straw · hide

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — child
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — happening now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a match
  18. current — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lean — thin
  24. game — wild animals

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