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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — low music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. current — electric
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bass — the fish
  10. drill — army training
  11. band — a ring
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a music group
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — to wash

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