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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — music
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. mark — a trace
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — of water
  19. last — final
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. swing — to play on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — to pay attention

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