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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 116 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: perch · club · current · staff · ground · can · file · spring

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spring — the season
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a line of people
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. staff — a stick
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — a position
  11. spring — a coil
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — crushed
  15. current — of water
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spring — of water
  18. file — a tool
  19. current — electric
  20. file — a document
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. current — happening now
  24. ground — the earth

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