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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: object · hide · tube · current · rule · sharp · cell · wake

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. rule — government
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rule — a law
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. current — electric
  10. sharp — clever
  11. object — a thing
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. current — happening now
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hide — to keep secret

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