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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — the season
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. current — happening now
  13. ball — a great time
  14. current — electric
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — of water
  17. object — an aim
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spring — of water
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wind — moving air

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