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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. current — electric
  3. fork — in a road
  4. hand — help
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. suit — in cards
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — a box
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a music group
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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