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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cold — not warm
  3. drill — a practice
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — happening now
  9. drill — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — a subject
  16. drill — army training
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bank — for money

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