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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: rock · spring · perch · row · stick · game · current · season

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — in sport
  4. current — happening now
  5. rock — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — a match
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. current — electric
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. row — a line
  24. season — of the year

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