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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — the season
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a music group
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — to handle
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. leaves — lets stay

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