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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. current — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stock — shares
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. track — a song
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — the season
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — a list
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — a path

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