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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: hand · wound · wake · lean · content · current · fork · rock

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hand — help
  9. content — the amount
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wound — an injury
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — thin
  17. rock — music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. current — happening now
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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