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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bank — for money
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. spring — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — the season
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — of water
  20. bank — for money
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — happening now
  24. bank — of a river

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