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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. current — happening now
  6. file — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. bank — for money
  15. kick — in football
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — of water
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — electric
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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