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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: hide · clip · firm · face · band · plane · current · march

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — a video
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — a company
  12. clip — for paper
  13. current — electric
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. firm — steady
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. clip — to cut
  18. march — music
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a ring
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. plane — an aircraft

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