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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: bat · rest · current · stick · band · spell · perch · file

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. band — a ring
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. spell — a short time
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. perch — the fish
  13. current — happening now
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a music group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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