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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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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: shower · band · tube · current · snap · branch · stand · pop

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — of water
  5. pop — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a music group
  8. current — happening now
  9. shower — rain
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. current — electric
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a ring

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