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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: current · pop · roll · tear · racket · lean · temple · chair

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. roll — a list
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — happening now
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — a cake
  11. lean — to bend
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — of water
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pop — soda
  18. tear — from crying
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. chair — to sit on

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