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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: bank · perch · file · arm · march · present · lean · current

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. bank — for money
  4. present — the time now
  5. file — a tool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lean — to bend
  12. current — electric
  13. lean — thin
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a line of people
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bank — for money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a document
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. current — happening now

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