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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: temple · deal · band · current · wake · kid · row · bank

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. current — electric
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. row — to paddle
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. current — of water
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bank — of a river
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. deal — a big deal

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