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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — farmland
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. content — happy
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — the amount

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