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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 · press · shower · race · band · last · arm · mate

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. current — electric
  3. race — humankind
  4. current — of water
  5. press — to push
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mate — a friend
  8. race — the arms race
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. race — a contest
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — final
  13. current — happening now
  14. mate — a partner
  15. press — newspapers
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a music group
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. last — to go on
  21. band — a ring
  22. last — finally
  23. mate — to breed
  24. shower — rain

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