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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 116 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: coach · cabinet · tube · game · current · ruler · march · bank

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bank — of a river
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — wild animals
  6. march — the month
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bank — for money
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. game — a match
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — a container

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