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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 116 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 · ground · band · file · cold · chip · bank · dip

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. file — a document
  4. current — of water
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a music group
  10. current — happening now
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a line of people
  15. band — a ring
  16. bank — for money
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. file — a tool
  21. current — electric
  22. ground — crushed
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a rubber band

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