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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: game · stand · plane · band · scale · chip · present · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. present — a gift
  5. game — a match
  6. chip — to eat
  7. present — the time now
  8. plane — a tool
  9. present — there
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. current — electric
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. scale — size or range
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. scale — in music
  24. current — of water

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