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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: firm · last · clip · band · current · ground · lash · rush

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. firm — decided
  3. band — a music group
  4. rush — hurry
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. band — a ring
  7. current — of water
  8. last — final
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. firm — a company
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. current — electric
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ground — crushed
  17. clip — a video
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — to go on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. current — happening now
  24. ground — a position

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