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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — electric
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. club — for golf
  6. current — of water
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. current — happening now
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spring — of water
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — a group
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spring — a coil

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