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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: rest · current · clip · tube · bore · band · key · spring

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — to cut
  3. band — a ring
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — electric
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. clip — a video
  10. spring — of water
  11. tube — a container
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. clip — for paper
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rest — a break
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. current — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bore — to drill
  23. band — a music group
  24. rest — what's left

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