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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: root · band · rush · kick · march · fall · capital · current

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — in football
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. root — of a word
  8. current — electric
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. band — a ring
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. march — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — the season
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — hurry

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