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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: current · ground · rush · bank · bass · capital · band · hide

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bass — the fish
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. band — a ring
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. current — happening now
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bass — low music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — money
  15. current — electric
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — of water
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ground — a position
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rush — a thrill

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