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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. branch — a division
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — happening now
  6. root — of a word
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. kid — to tease
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. root — the cause
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — in an idiom

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