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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: roll · stick · bass · can · snap · current · hide · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — low music
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. roll — a cake
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — of water
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. current — happening now
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — to tease
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. can — a tin
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. roll — a list
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — child
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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