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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · spell · sharp · wound · current · cold · kid · suit

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. current — happening now
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. wound — an injury
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. suit — clothes
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. spell — letters
  20. suit — in cards
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — the fish

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