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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. charge — in control
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a face
  9. spring — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cue — a signal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. current — electric
  15. mug — a cup
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — rain
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — happening now
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. charge — electricity
  24. current — of water

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