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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: cold · last · current · key · wake · band · cap · bore

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cap — of ice
  5. key — in music
  6. current — of water
  7. band — a ring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to tire
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cap — a lid
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. last — final
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. key — the most important part
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bore — to drill

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