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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cap — a lid
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a ring
  13. current — electric
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. key — in music
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pop — soda

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