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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. bank — of a river
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — farmland
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. content — happy
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. bank — for money
  24. ruler — for measuring

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