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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · tube · face · stick · spell · current

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. face — part of the head
  4. current — happening now
  5. tube — a container
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. face — to confront
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — a series
  14. current — of water
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spell — magic
  18. current — electric

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