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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: snap · lean · charge · current · tube · rest · bulb · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cold — not warm
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. lean — thin
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — a container
  12. charge — in control
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. current — happening now
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — electricity
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — of water

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