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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. current — happening now
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitch — completely
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — rain
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spring — of water
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rock — a stone
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — of water
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. lash — an eyelash

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