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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: rock · content · present · fall · clip · tube · key · current

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. present — there
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — of water
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — the most important part
  12. present — the time now
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — the season
  15. clip — a video
  16. current — happening now
  17. present — a gift
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. rock — a stone
  23. current — electric
  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