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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · rash · track · current · bank · cold · root · capital

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — electric
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. current — happening now
  6. bank — of a river
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. current — of water
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. capital — money
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — hasty
  16. root — of a word
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rash — a series
  21. capital — a city
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bank — for money
  24. stand — for spectators

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