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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — in music
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — in biology
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cell — in a prison

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