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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: land · mate · rock · charge · fork · band · hand · current

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — electric
  4. charge — in control
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. charge — a price
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rock — a stone
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — in a road
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — music
  14. current — of water
  15. land — a country
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. hand — help
  18. charge — electricity
  19. current — happening now
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a partner

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