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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: pop · cap · can · last · wake · wind · row · current

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cap — a lid
  4. last — finally
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. can — a tin
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — electric
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — happening now
  15. last — to go on
  16. current — of water
  17. last — final
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a line
  21. pop — music
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wake — a trail

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