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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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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bear — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. kick — in football
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. current — happening now
  20. can — a tin
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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