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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: cabinet · club · present · cell · perch · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — a phone
  3. current — of water
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. club — a group
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. present — a gift
  14. club — for golf
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. 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