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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: season · temple · squash · saw · dip · spring · cell · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — of the year
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. current — electric
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. saw — the tool

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