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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: fall · rash · snap · bear · hide · bowl · current · band

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a ring
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. snap — to click
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fall — to drop
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — the season
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. rash — a series

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