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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — a container
  14. press — to push
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. file — a line of people
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — electric

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