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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
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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: bear · current · cap · staff · cabinet · net · rush · spring

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cap — a lid
  8. net — in sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. spring — a coil
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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