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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — to drill
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — happening now
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bore — to tire
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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