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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: cabinet · lean · hand · stick · race · bulb · current · mug

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hand — in cards
  5. race — a contest
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. mug — a face
  9. race — humankind
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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