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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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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 · current · fine · ruler · trunk · club · pound · last

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pound — a weight
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. fine — all right
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — child
  20. last — final
  21. club — for dancing
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — to go on
  24. pound — for dogs

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