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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: band · cap · court · net · tear · rock · current · row

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cap — a lid
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — to paddle
  11. current — electric
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cap — a hat
  18. current — of water
  19. rock — music
  20. band — a music group
  21. current — happening now
  22. row — a line
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of law

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