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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.

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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: racket · stand · deal · current · cold · tube

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cold — an illness
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War

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