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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · leaves · band · fork · clip · present · swing · current

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. swing — music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. current — of water
  8. present — there
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — happening now
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — the time now
  18. bore — to drill
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fork — in a road
  21. clip — a video
  22. band — a music group
  23. current — electric
  24. swing — in golf

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