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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: sharp · cabinet · jam · spring · tube · wind · bowl · current

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. current — of water
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — happening now
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spring — of water
  24. sharp — clever

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