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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: drill · current · kick · rash · bat · wind · wake · rock

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. kick — in football
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rash — hasty
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. drill — army training
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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