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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: current · cabinet · dip · can · face · wound · mark · squash

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — to be able to
  10. current — electric
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a grade
  19. current — happening now
  20. squash — the sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — of water
  24. squash — the vegetable

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