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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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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 · chip · ground · scale · prune · capital · nail · rule

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chip — for betting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. rule — a law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rule — government
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. capital — a city
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. ground — crushed

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