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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: date · dip · lean · club · stick · object · current · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. object — a thing
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. object — to protest
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for golf
  13. object — an aim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — a group
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. date — the fruit
  20. club — for dancing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. current — of water
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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