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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — help
  7. kid — child
  8. bank — for money
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — money
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bank — of a river
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a city
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bulb — for light

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