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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: cap · land · rash · date · tube · object · mate · current

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. current — happening now
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. object — an aim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. land — ground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — a country
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — to come down
  16. current — electric
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mate — a partner
  19. object — a thing
  20. rash — hasty
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. current — of water
  24. object — to protest

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