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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: bear · clip · lean · arm · chair · current · band · toast

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. toast — bread
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — to put up with

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