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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. band — a ring
  11. craft — boats
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — of water
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — soda
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bound — certain
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a music group
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bound — obliged

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