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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.

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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — electric
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — in cards
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. root — the cause
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — help
  17. root — of a plant
  18. current — of water
  19. drill — army training
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — part of the head
  22. root — of a word
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bat — 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