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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
468
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 · cabinet · spell · dip · tube · coach · mine · march

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spell — magic
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — electric
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — the month
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. current — of water
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — to sink
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — the month

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