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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — happening now
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a ring
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to confront
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — of water
  24. wind — moving air

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