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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 · foot · wake · scale · arm · ground · spell · mine

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — a short time
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spell — magic
  12. current — happening now
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — electric
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. ground — a position
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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