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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — electric
  4. club — a group
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — help
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. root — of a word
  12. club — for golf
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. club — for dancing
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — in sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. root — the cause
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. season — to add flavour

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