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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: kid · row · mouse · current · bound · bat · stick · bear

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — tied together
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bat — the animal
  18. kid — child
  19. current — electric
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — happening now
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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