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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: band · current · calf · scale · clip · jam · content · leaves

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. clip — a video
  5. band — a ring
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. clip — to cut
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. current — happening now
  19. scale — size or range
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — of water
  24. band — a music group

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