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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 116 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. current — of water
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — child
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — music

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