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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 120 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: object · rash · fork · cap · ground · land · current · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. object — to protest
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ground — a position
  13. object — a thing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — a country
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mate — a friend
  19. land — to come down
  20. cap — a lid
  21. object — an aim
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. rash — a series

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