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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — of ice
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. band — a ring
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — happening now
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fall — the season
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bore — to drill

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