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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: bay · roll · tube · march · current · track · fall · cell

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. roll — a list
  3. current — happening now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tube — a container
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. track — a song
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. roll — a cake
  17. march — the month
  18. current — of water
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cell — in biology
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fall — the season
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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