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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — electric
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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