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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kick — in football
  3. current — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a line
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — to eat
  14. branch — a division
  15. suit — to fit
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — for betting
  22. suit — clothes
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spring — the season

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