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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: rash · current · saw · capital · season · fan · jam · bear

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. current — happening now
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — electric
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — in sport
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — hasty
  12. capital — money
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — of water
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — a big letter
  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