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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.

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: band · present · fork · capital · saw · current · toast · ground

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. present — the time now
  4. toast — bread
  5. saw — the tool
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. present — a gift
  14. fork — in a road
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a music group
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — money
  23. ground — a position
  24. band — a ring

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