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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: rush · mine · cap · snap · ground · arm · current · band

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cap — a lid
  3. current — electric
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. current — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — a position
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a ring
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. snap — to click

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