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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: saw · cabinet · spring · net · lean · firm · rule · current

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. spring — the season
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. current — happening now
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. firm — steady
  9. current — of water
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. firm — decided
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — of water
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — a company
  24. lean — thin

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