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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: last · capital · current · can · mine · stand · shower · rule

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. stand — to bear
  3. current — electric
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. capital — money
  7. rule — a law
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. last — to go on
  12. can — a tin
  13. last — final
  14. can — to be able to
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rule — government
  17. shower — rain
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — happening now
  23. last — finally
  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