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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: key · current · bulb · track · wake · plane · lie · file

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wake — a trail
  5. track — to keep track
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — electric
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — in music
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. current — happening now
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. file — a tool
  21. track — a song
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. track — a path
  24. lie — an untruth

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