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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: wave · arm · pitch · land · band · rush · lie · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. current — electric
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — ground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — a country
  13. lie — to recline
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. current — of water
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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