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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: band · wind · trunk · pop · current · rush · saw · last

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. current — of water
  5. band — a ring
  6. pop — to visit
  7. current — happening now
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — hurry
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — to go on
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. current — electric
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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