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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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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: current · bank · wave · present · fall · stick · snap · pop

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. pop — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — the season
  7. bank — of a river
  8. present — a gift
  9. fall — to drop
  10. snap — to click
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pop — soda
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. current — happening now
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. present — there
  22. pop — to visit
  23. current — electric
  24. bank — for money

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