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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: current · cabinet · cap · net · press · tube · content · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. press — to push
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tube — a container
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. current — of water
  15. cap — a hat
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bore — to drill
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. press — newspapers

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