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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · wound · suit · current · charge · clip · fine · root

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — of a word
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — clothes
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — of water
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — all right
  16. charge — a price
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. suit — to fit
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. charge — in control

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