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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 · cabinet · charge · fall · spell · rash · band · degree

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. degree — temperature
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. charge — a price
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. band — a ring
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. spell — letters
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — of water
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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