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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bank — for money
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kid — to tease
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cell — a phone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — of water
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. degree — an amount

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