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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · lean · cabinet · clip · fall · drill · date · dip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — happening now
  3. lean — thin
  4. clip — to cut
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. current — of water
  8. drill — army training
  9. fall — the season
  10. clip — a video
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. date — the fruit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. current — electric
  22. dip — to sink
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. drill — a practice

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