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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bank — of a river
  3. current — of water
  4. court — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cue — a hint
  17. court — of a king
  18. rash — a series
  19. bore — to tire
  20. court — of law
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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