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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. swing — to play on
  5. current — electric
  6. branch — a division
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — in golf
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — of water
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — happening now
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — to wash

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