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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: scale · bulb · kid · suit · row · hand · fork · current

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kid — child
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. row — a line
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. kid — to tease
  14. suit — clothes
  15. scale — size or range
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. current — electric
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. row — to paddle

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