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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 120 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: leaves · current · spring · net · can · pitch · tube · chair

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. spring — the season
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. spring — a coil
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — in sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — electric
  24. chair — to sit on

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