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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
468
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: kid · leaves · file · bear · ground · spring · current · pitch

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. current — of water
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spring — a coil
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — happening now
  21. file — a tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — the season

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