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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: file · ground · spring · face · current · foot · mug · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. current — of water
  3. foot — a measure
  4. current — happening now
  5. file — a document
  6. spring — of water
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mug — a face
  9. toast — bread
  10. face — to confront
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ground — the earth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a tool
  17. ground — crushed
  18. current — electric
  19. face — to point toward
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — a coil

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