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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — a trail
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — goods
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rash — a series
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — ground
  21. band — a ring
  22. rash — hasty
  23. land — a country
  24. temple — a place of worship

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