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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 120 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: rash · band · nail · kid · current · arm · bat · hide

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — of water
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kid — child
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. current — electric
  24. hide — to keep secret

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