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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. current — of water
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. lean — thin
  7. spell — magic
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kid — child
  10. spring — the season
  11. current — happening now
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. board — a committee
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to drill

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