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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 116 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: straw · mine · tube · pit · ball · leaves · pop · current

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — soda
  3. pit — in a race
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pop — to visit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a dance
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pop — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tube — the underground
  23. current — electric
  24. ball — a round shape

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