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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 120 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: can · wound · cold · arm · suit · band · pitcher · current

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. current — of water
  6. suit — in cards
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cold — not warm

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