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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.

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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 · pitcher · mine · perch · swing · spring · stem · season

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. season — in sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — happening now
  10. swing — music
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. current — electric
  18. season — of the year
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mine — for digging
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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