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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: ball · wound · mug · lean · cabinet · file · current · mine

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. current — of water
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a face
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. current — electric
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mug — a cup
  19. file — a line of people
  20. lean — thin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a document
  24. mine — belonging to me

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