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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.

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: present · current · tube · hand · lean · mate · scale · rash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lean — thin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — a partner
  6. current — electric
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. current — of water
  10. present — a gift
  11. current — happening now
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. tube — a container
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — in music
  24. lean — to bend

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