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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: band · staff · spring · rock · shower · rule · current · cabinet

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. current — electric
  3. band — a ring
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. band — a music group
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — a law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spring — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — government
  21. spring — of water
  22. rock — music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rule — to rule out

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