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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: club · current · cold · rock · root · bound · scale · kid

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. current — electric
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. club — a group
  6. root — the cause
  7. bound — certain
  8. scale — in music
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. current — happening now
  12. bound — obliged
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cold — an illness
  15. kid — child
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rock — music
  19. current — of water
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rock — a stone

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