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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · spring · current · hand · pound · rush · perch · mouse

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. spring — a coil
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hand — in cards

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