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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: band · season · stick · current · face · march · can · wake

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to point toward
  7. can — to be able to
  8. march — music
  9. season — in sport
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — the month
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — electric
  15. can — a tin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. current — of water
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a music group

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