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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.

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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spring — a coil
  7. current — electric
  8. track — a song
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — to confront
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. current — happening now
  24. mouse — the animal

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