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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: foot · dip · kid · mine · wake · current · object · spell

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. current — electric
  4. foot — a measure
  5. object — an aim
  6. wake — a trail
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — for digging
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. spell — letters
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. dip — a sauce

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