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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. spring — of water
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — electric
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — happening now
  13. branch — a division
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chip — for betting
  19. current — of water
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  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