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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. current — electric
  9. fall — the season
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. current — happening now
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. hand — in cards
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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