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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: bear · current · hand · fan · object · rule · band · stand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — an aim
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rule — a law
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. current — electric
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. object — to protest
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. object — a thing
  23. rule — government
  24. bear — the animal

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