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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: stick · mate · perch · pop · rule · band · bat · current

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. band — a music group
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. current — happening now
  10. pop — soda
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rule — government
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. band — a ring
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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