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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spring — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — electric
  8. spring — the season
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — of the year
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. season — in sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. coach — a trainer

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