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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. present — the time now
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. drill — army training
  8. branch — a division
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kid — to tease
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — electric
  17. present — there
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — to cut
  23. kid — child
  24. clip — a video

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