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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. file — a tool
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a ring
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — electric
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — rain
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. current — happening now

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