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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: kick · chip · bank · court · wound · lean · field · current

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. current — of water
  4. field — a subject
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chip — to eat
  7. court — for sport
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — in football
  11. bank — for money
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. court — of law
  14. field — for sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of a king
  23. bank — of a river
  24. field — farmland

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