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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. land — a country
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — magic
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — the season
  11. current — electric
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. land — ground
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. current — happening now
  17. spring — of water
  18. pound — a weight
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — a path
  24. pound — for dogs

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