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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: toast · current · stick · game · spring · sharp · chest · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. current — electric
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — happening now
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — of water
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — a box
  15. toast — bread
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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