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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: fall · rush · current · charge · tube · trunk · cold · stand

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cold — an illness
  6. current — happening now
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — in control
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — electricity
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. current — of water
  17. stand — to bear
  18. charge — a price
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — a container
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fall — the season
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

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