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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — for sport
  5. tear — to rip
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a music group
  8. court — of a king
  9. current — of water
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. band — a ring
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — to hurry

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