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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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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: rush · current · straw · spring · mark · game · row · hand

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. row — to paddle
  3. game — wild animals
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. game — a match
  8. spring — of water
  9. rush — hurry
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. current — of water
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. hand — help
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. current — electric
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — a grade

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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