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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: coach · hand · bass · march · jam · current · cabinet · can

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. march — the month
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. hand — help
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. current — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bass — low music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — happening now
  24. can — a tin

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