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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 120 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: press · current · cold · bass · firm · tube · net · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. firm — a company
  7. cold — an illness
  8. tube — a container
  9. current — electric
  10. net — after costs
  11. cold — not warm
  12. net — in sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — for catching
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. press — to push
  21. firm — steady
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — the Cold War

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