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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: press · current · land · game · fork · branch · shower · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. shower — to wash
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. game — wild animals
  10. land — ground
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fork — in a road
  17. tube — a container
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. press — to push
  23. game — a match
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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