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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: wind · firm · current · dip · scale · wake · bear · spring

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spring — the season
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. current — happening now
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — steady
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spring — of water
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. current — of water
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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