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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: wound · rush · key · current · rock · band · rest · rule

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — a law
  4. band — a ring
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rule — government
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a music group
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — in music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rock — a stone

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