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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. file — a line of people
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — electric
  7. spring — the season
  8. can — to be able to
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — to bend
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — the month
  15. face — to point toward
  16. can — a tin
  17. lean — thin
  18. current — happening now
  19. march — music
  20. face — to confront
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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