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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: chip · ground · bank · hide · capital · band · bass · current

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. band — a music group
  9. bank — for money
  10. current — electric
  11. bank — of a river
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. current — of water
  14. bass — the fish
  15. current — happening now
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — for money
  18. band — a ring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ground — a position
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bass — low music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. capital — money

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