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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 · foot · present · row · clip · ruler · jam · lean

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. present — a gift
  4. current — electric
  5. present — there
  6. lean — thin
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. clip — a video
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. row — a line
  17. present — the time now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. lean — to bend
  23. row — to paddle
  24. foot — a measure

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