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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — money
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. current — of water
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. current — happening now
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a ring
  20. capital — a city
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hand — help
  23. current — electric
  24. band — a rubber band

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