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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: spring · mine · current · arm · clip · nail · court · fan

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — the season
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. spring — a coil
  10. court — for sport
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. mine — for digging
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — of water
  16. court — of a king
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — of water
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of law
  24. arm — part of the body

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