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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: nail · snap · lean · chest · tube · rest · content · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. current — of water
  2. content — happy
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — a break
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. current — happening now
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rest — what's left
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — a box
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to click
  23. lean — to rest against
  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