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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rock — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — in football
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — of water
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. clip — a video
  23. tear — from crying
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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