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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — of a river
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a song
  10. band — a music group
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. current — of water
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. hand — help
  18. track — a path
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cell — in biology
  24. current — happening now

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