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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · spring · rash · ground · mug · bark · current · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — a coil
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mug — a face
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. current — electric
  19. season — in sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. mug — to rob

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