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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: current · drill · swing · wake · rash · bass · nail · object

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. object — to protest
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. drill — army training
  13. swing — to play on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rash — a series
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — electric
  19. object — a thing
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. swing — music
  23. object — an aim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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