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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: band · wave · current · cell · snap · rest · rash · straw

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. current — electric
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. band — a music group
  6. current — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in biology
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a ring
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rest — a break
  14. snap — to click
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rash — a series
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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