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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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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: lean · bay · date · mark · last · spring · club · current

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lean — thin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. club — a group
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. club — for dancing
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. lean — to bend
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — happening now

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