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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · fan · current · bound · dip · mine · capital · calf

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. current — electric
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bound — obliged
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — certain
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — the month
  19. current — happening now
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fan — a supporter
  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