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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. current — happening now
  5. scale — size or range
  6. current — of water
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cap — a lid
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — a division
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cap — a hat
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. press — newspapers
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. band — a ring

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