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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — obliged
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — a series
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — certain
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bank — of a river
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. current — of water
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to confront
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — the fish
  24. face — to point toward

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