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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — electric
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. club — for golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. current — of water
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. net — for catching
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. net — in sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — a group
  24. bank — of a river

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