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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: wound · current · content · staff · rest · date · march · bass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. march — the month
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. current — happening now
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. march — music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bass — low music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. staff — employees
  15. march — the month
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. current — of water
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — happy
  22. current — electric
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — the amount

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