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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. plane — a tool
  3. firm — steady
  4. snap — to click
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. firm — decided
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. current — electric
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. current — of water
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — clever
  24. firm — a company

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