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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
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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: mate · roll · hide · current · chest · spring · toast · scale

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — the season
  5. mate — a friend
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — a cake
  9. toast — bread
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chest — a box
  13. scale — in music
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. current — happening now
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. current — of water
  24. spring — of water

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