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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — of water
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. band — a ring
  18. cap — of ice
  19. key — the most important part
  20. band — a music group
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — the season

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