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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: track · bear · squash · stand · spring · current · sharp · kid

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kid — child
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. current — electric
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — a song
  10. squash — to crush
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — the animal
  14. current — of water
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. squash — the sport
  24. kid — to tease

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