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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · wake · arm · rock · current · clip · squash · chest

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chest — a box
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — size or range
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — in music
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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