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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. band — a ring
  3. roll — a cake
  4. current — electric
  5. band — a music group
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mine — for digging
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. roll — a list
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — thin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. current — happening now

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