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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: current · cap · bear · rule · bound · bass · rush · fan

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — electric
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — of water
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rule — government
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — obliged
  22. current — happening now
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rush — a thrill

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