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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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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: staff · spring · ruler · swing · lean · lash · current · pound

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — the season
  5. swing — in golf
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — happening now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. staff — employees
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. spring — of water
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. current — of water
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. pound — a weight

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