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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: current · mate · board · press · spring · land · fine · race

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — a country
  4. spring — of water
  5. press — a publisher
  6. land — to come down
  7. spring — a coil
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. race — a contest
  11. current — electric
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — newspapers
  17. current — happening now
  18. fine — all right
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. board — to get on
  22. land — ground
  23. fine — high quality
  24. race — humankind

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