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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · track · current · content · march · key · wave · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. track — a song
  3. current — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. current — electric
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — not warm
  8. key — in music
  9. content — the amount
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a path
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — the most important part
  18. march — music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. current — happening now
  24. cold — the Cold War

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