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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: band · firm · court · straw · temple · can · march · current

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a ring
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a music group
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — of a king
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — electric
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. can — to be able to
  24. march — music

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