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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: capital · hand · chip · bass · rush · prune · stand · current

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — low music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — money
  24. bass — the instrument

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