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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: snap · content · cell · lean · face · current · tube · wound

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. face — to point toward
  3. current — of water
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to click
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — happening now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lean — thin
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — a phone
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. current — electric
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cell — in biology
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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