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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 · current · chest · ground · row · tube · roll · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. current — of water
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — to paddle
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — in football
  11. current — happening now
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — the earth
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — a box
  22. current — electric
  23. ground — a position
  24. row — a line

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