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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. band — a music group
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mate — a friend
  5. current — electric
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. snap — to click
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. current — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — to breed
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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