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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.

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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: band · rule · ground · temple · saw · drill · fall · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. band — a ring
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ground — the earth
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. current — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. band — a music group
  16. fall — the season
  17. current — electric
  18. rule — a law
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — a position
  24. band — a rubber band

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