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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · current · cell · wind · mine · pit

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. current — electric
  8. rest — a break
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — a hole
  11. current — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — what's left

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