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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: wound · present · spring · face · pass · band · current · ball

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. current — of water
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pass — a permit
  5. band — a ring
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — of water
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — part of the head
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — to confront
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — electric
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to point toward
  22. current — happening now
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wound — an injury

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