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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fine — high quality
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — a division
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — child
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. wave — of the sea

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