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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: cue · hide · current · band · scale · squash · arm · tear

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. current — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a ring
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — the sport
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — in music
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — a signal
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cue — for pool
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cue — a hint
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — to crush
  24. current — happening now

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