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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: field · current · chip · can · cabinet · fall · plane · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fall — to drop
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. current — of water
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — the season
  20. can — a tin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. current — electric

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