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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: band · arm · plane · club · date · tear · current · nail

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — happening now
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. current — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tear — to rip
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a music group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. tear — from crying
  22. date — the fruit
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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