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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 · leaves · hide · cell · tube · lean · stock · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. stock — shares
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. current — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — goods
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — electric
  10. lean — to bend
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cell — a phone
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lean — thin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — happening now
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tube — in a tire

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