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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spring — the season
  3. kid — child
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — a partner
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. last — to go on
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — for money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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