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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · cap · lie · cell · file · fan · wound · current

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lie — to recline
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. current — electric
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. file — a line of people

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