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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: press · tube · rule · cabinet · prune · fall · current · bowl

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — a law
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — electric
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. current — of water
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fall — to drop

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