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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. firm — a company
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. band — a music group
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to click
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lean — thin
  14. shower — to wash
  15. firm — steady
  16. bass — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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