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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: squash · current · bore · land · tear · fine · band · sharp

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — ground
  5. current — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bore — to tire
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — the sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — happening now
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. land — a country
  21. bore — to drill
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. sharp — clever

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