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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 · can · plane · chair · bore · spell · suit · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — letters
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. current — electric
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — a tin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chair — a leader
  9. current — happening now
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bore — to tire
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. suit — clothes
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. suit — to fit
  18. spell — magic
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bore — to drill
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. suit — in cards
  24. current — of water

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