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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: current · spring · last · dip · mark · trunk · content · fine

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. content — happy
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spring — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mark — a trace
  13. last — final
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fine — all right
  16. spring — a coil
  17. last — to go on
  18. current — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mark — a grade
  23. last — finally
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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