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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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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: swing · current · band · lie · drill · staff · pop · vault

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. current — of water
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lie — to recline
  5. band — a music group
  6. pop — soda
  7. current — happening now
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — electric
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pop — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. staff — a stick
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — to play on

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