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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: cabinet · cap · bound · arm · rash · wound · current · perch

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — electric
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — hasty
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. current — happening now
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. arm — part of the body

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