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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 120 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: rush · mark · pop · mouse · tear · wake · current · row

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. row — a line
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mark — a grade
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — of water
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pop — soda
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — electric
  23. pop — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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