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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 124 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. cap — a hat
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — electric
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — a division
  11. cap — of ice
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — of water
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cap — a lid
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rash — hasty
  24. file — a line of people

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