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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: fork · pop · rush · deal · lean · hand · can · current

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pop — to visit
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — of water
  6. pop — soda
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. deal — to handle
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lean — thin
  21. can — a tin
  22. current — happening now
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. lean — to rest against

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