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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: net · stem · snap · current · swing · spring · march · face

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — in sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. face — part of the head
  12. current — of water
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. spring — a coil
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — for catching
  23. swing — in golf
  24. march — the month

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