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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bank — for money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — of water
  9. band — a music group
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a ring
  12. pop — music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — electric
  16. bank — for money
  17. row — a line
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pop — soda
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. calf — of the leg

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