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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: row · current · cabinet · jam · tube · straw · mark · chest

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. chest — of your body
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. tube — a container
  12. current — happening now
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — electric
  21. mark — a grade
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chest — a box
  24. current — of water

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