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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rule — a law
  6. current — electric
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. spring — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — the season
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. tube — a container
  14. rule — government
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. scale — in music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — to wash
  24. arm — part of the 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