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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · ground · rash · cold · rush · leaves · current · land

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — electric
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rash — a series
  9. land — ground
  10. ground — crushed
  11. current — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — hasty
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. march — music
  18. land — a country
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ground — a position

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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