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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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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: lean · drill · mug · rest · band · race · current · fall

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. drill — a practice
  3. current — electric
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. fall — the season
  9. rest — what's left
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. current — happening now
  16. race — the arms race
  17. drill — army training
  18. rest — a break
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a music group
  22. drill — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. race — humankind

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