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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: march · wind · mug · current · hand · straw · rush · dip

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. march — music
  3. current — happening now
  4. dip — to sink
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mug — to rob
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hand — in cards
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — a face
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — moving air
  23. march — the month
  24. current — of water

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