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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: race · sharp · lash · mine · current · shower · bound · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — rain
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a music group
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bound — certain
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — of water
  23. race — humankind
  24. bound — tied together

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