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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: rock · snap · current · pitcher · racket · drill · band · wake

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. wake — a trail
  8. drill — a practice
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. current — happening now
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — army training
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. band — a music group
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. band — a rubber band

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