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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bank — for money
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — of water
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — for sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — of law
  18. spring — of water
  19. file — a document
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bank — of a river
  23. staff — employees
  24. bank — for money

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