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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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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: lie · pound · current · wound · fan · kid · rule · snap

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. rule — a law
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rule — government
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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