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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · current · spell · saw · spring · mug · chest · wake

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. ground — crushed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — happening now
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — magic
  18. mug — a face
  19. current — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mug — a cup
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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