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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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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 · face · club · wake · nail · roll · fall · rash

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — to point toward
  8. current — happening now
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. current — of water
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. roll — a list
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wake — a trail
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — for golf
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — to confront
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. club — for dancing

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