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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: bank · mouse · mate · rush · current · spell · band · game

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. current — of water
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — of a river
  7. current — electric
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a ring
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — magic
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. current — happening now

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