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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: rock · current · lie · game · lean · pitcher · band · straw

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. game — a match
  17. band — a music group
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rock — a stone
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lean — to bend

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