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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — to drop
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — help
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — in football
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. fall — the season
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bank — for money
  23. current — of water
  24. sharp — with an edge

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