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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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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: racket · spring · content · bore · band · current · press · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. bore — to tire
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spring — the season
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. press — to push
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. band — a ring
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. march — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. band — a music group
  17. spring — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. current — electric
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. press — a publisher

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