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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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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: wound · leaves · current · last · bass · band · arm · coach

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — electric
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a music group
  10. current — of water
  11. last — to go on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — final
  14. current — happening now
  15. band — a ring
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wound — an injury
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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