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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: rash · nail · mine · spring · current · lean · foot · wake

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. current — electric
  3. spring — a coil
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rash — hasty
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — the season
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rash — a series
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. current — happening now
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — thin

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