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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: tear · fine · mug · ground · cold · current · squash · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fine — all right
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. current — of water
  11. squash — to crush
  12. tube — a container
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — to rob
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mug — a face
  23. ground — a position
  24. current — happening now

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