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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · leaves · race · march · hand · band · lash · bark

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. race — humankind
  3. hand — help
  4. current — electric
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — to shout
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. band — a ring
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — in cards
  20. band — a music group
  21. march — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lash — to lash out

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