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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 · current · fan · wake · racket · wound · rash · face

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a music group
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. face — to confront
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a ring
  18. current — happening now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wake — a trail

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