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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: stick · safe · squash · can · scale · bank · kid · current

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. can — a tin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — happening now
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. can — to be able to
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. squash — to crush
  16. current — electric
  17. bank — for money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. can — a tin
  22. current — of water
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. kid — to tease

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