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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: tube · coach · last · wind · snap · present · current · face

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — there
  4. current — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — final
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. face — part of the head
  12. last — finally
  13. face — to confront
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — happening now
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — a container
  21. face — to point toward
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — electric
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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