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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.

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: rash · mouse · march · stick · ruler · current · clip · lean

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — for paper
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — a video
  13. march — the month
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. current — happening now
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lean — to bend
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — thin
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rash — a series

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