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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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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: rush · lean · ruler · kid · jam · cold · current · pound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. current — happening now
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — an illness
  10. kid — child
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. current — of water
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lean — thin
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. current — electric

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