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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.

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: swing · rock · track · current · press · mate · spring · rash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spring — a coil
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — the season
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. spring — of water
  8. rash — hasty
  9. swing — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — to push
  14. current — happening now
  15. swing — in golf
  16. current — of water
  17. swing — to play on
  18. press — a publisher
  19. track — to keep track
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — electric
  22. rash — a series
  23. mate — a friend
  24. track — a song

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