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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: kick · track · spring · bulb · current · file · rock · foot

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — a path
  4. current — happening now
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — of water
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bulb — for light
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. file — a document
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a song
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — of a plant

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