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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. swing — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. swing — in golf
  16. toast — bread
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. current — electric
  20. band — a music group
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. perch — the fish

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