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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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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: fan · last · bark · can · rush · current · tube · arm

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rush — hurry
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — a container
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. can — to be able to
  21. current — of water
  22. can — a tin
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — to shout

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