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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 120 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: fine · chair · ruler · tear · arm · season · wound · current

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chair — a leader
  3. current — of water
  4. fine — all right
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — electric
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. season — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. current — happening now
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ruler — for measuring

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