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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: rock · ground · current · can · temple · toast · clip · row

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rock — a stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. can — a tin
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rock — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. clip — a video
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — bread
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a line
  22. current — of water
  23. clip — for paper
  24. row — to paddle

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