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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: bound · current · degree · fan · game · roll · tube · cell

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a match
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — electric
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bound — tied together
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — a cake

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