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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: deal · shower · board · cell · land · drill · current · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cell — in biology
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a music group
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. current — happening now
  9. shower — to wash
  10. deal — to handle
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — rain
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. current — electric
  18. drill — the tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — to come down
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. board — a committee

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