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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: current · spell · wake · capital · face · wind · mouse · cell

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spell — magic
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. spell — letters
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. capital — a city
  24. spell — a short time

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