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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: arm · band · shower · roll · current · content · staff · rest

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — a cake
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. roll — a list
  24. arm — a part of something

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