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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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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: ground · current · present · band · land · rule

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — the time now
  4. band — a music group
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — a country
  12. rule — government
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — a position
  15. land — ground
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — the earth

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