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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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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: current · band · mouse · sharp · hand · track · tube · bass

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. current — happening now
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. sharp — clever
  9. band — a ring
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — low music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bass — the fish
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — in cards
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. track — a path
  24. current — electric

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