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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: present · object · nail · cabinet · file · spring · drill · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. file — a document
  3. current — happening now
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — a thing
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. present — a gift
  12. file — a tool
  13. object — an aim
  14. drill — army training
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spring — of water
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. present — there
  22. spring — the season
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — the time now

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