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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: current · bound · lean · racket · dip · chair · clip · mug

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — thin
  4. mug — a face
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — electric
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bound — certain
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — a leader
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — obliged
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bound — tied together

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