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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: chest · current · pitcher · bulb · lean · cap · mate · roll

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. cap — a lid
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — thin
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bulb — for light
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chest — a box
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. roll — a list

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