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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: present · craft · drill · perch · band · current · face · tear

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. drill — a practice
  3. face — part of the head
  4. current — of water
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. band — a ring
  14. face — to point toward
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. present — the time now
  17. craft — boats
  18. current — happening now
  19. present — a gift
  20. craft — a skill
  21. current — electric
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — to confront
  24. present — there

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