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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: cap · current · lash · band · degree · ruler · fall · rock

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. current — of water
  5. degree — temperature
  6. current — electric
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rock — a stone
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — the season

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