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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 · rock · temple · cabinet · pitcher · cold · band · charge

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rock — music
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. charge — a price
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. current — of water
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — electricity
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a music group
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. charge — in control

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