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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spring — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — happening now
  8. board — to get on
  9. rush — hurry
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — there
  13. spring — of water
  14. present — a gift
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — to grow
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — the time now
  22. current — of water
  23. board — a committee
  24. rush — to hurry

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