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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 116 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: lie · current · stock · pop · band · press · tube · cold

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — to push
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. current — happening now
  17. tube — the underground
  18. current — electric
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stock — shares
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pop — soda
  24. lie — to recline

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