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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: current · squash · bank · tube · fall · mate · pop · last

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. fall — the season
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — to go on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — to breed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. mate — a friend
  13. last — finally
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — of a river
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — final
  24. pop — music

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