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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — happening now
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — to protest
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lean — to bend
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. object — a thing
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. clip — a video
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. object — an aim
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — of water
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kid — child

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