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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — after costs
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. current — electric
  11. net — in sport
  12. last — to go on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. key — in music
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — of water
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — belonging to me

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