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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: saw · ground · current · swing · spring · staff · bay · mine

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. staff — employees
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. current — of water
  9. swing — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. swing — in golf
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — electric
  16. ground — a position
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mine — for digging
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ground — the earth
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ground — crushed

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