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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: saw · rule · bank · last · mark · current · spell · file

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. rule — a law
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rule — government
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. last — final
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — letters
  19. bank — of a river
  20. file — a tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a document

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