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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: club · present · nail · mine · current · tube · rash · leaves

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. club — a group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. present — there
  17. current — happening now
  18. present — the time now
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for dancing
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. present — a gift
  24. current — electric

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