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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 · tube · bear · fall · net · last · current · can

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. current — of water
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — for catching
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. tube — a container
  8. last — to go on
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. current — electric
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — finally
  23. can — a tin
  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