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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: tube · race · cold · current · fork · bulb · mine · stand

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. current — happening now
  6. race — humankind
  7. current — of water
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. race — a contest
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. current — electric
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — an illness

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