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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · tear · band · roll · current · scale · fork · game

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — in music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. roll — a list
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. fork — in a road
  18. band — a music group
  19. scale — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. tear — to rip
  24. game — wild animals

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