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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 120 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 · bound · scale · cue · stick · cabinet · current · craft

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — in music
  9. current — happening now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cue — a signal
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — obliged
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. craft — a skill
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. current — of water

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