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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pop — soda
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — electric
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bound — certain
  21. current — of water
  22. tear — to rip
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a ring

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