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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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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: current · temple · swing · tear · fork · can · leaves · kick

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. can — to be able to
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. current — electric
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. current — of water
  15. kick — in football
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. can — a tin
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — happening now
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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