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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 116 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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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: march · current · sharp · lean · band · face · wake · race

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. band — a ring
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. race — a contest
  7. current — happening now
  8. march — music
  9. current — electric
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — to bend
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — thin
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — of water
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. band — a music group
  24. sharp — clever

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