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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. current — electric
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. can — to be able to
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — the tool
  19. can — a tin
  20. row — a line
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — happening now
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — music

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