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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: rest · face · spring · hide · bulb · current · squash · bound

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bulb — for light
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bound — certain
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — part of the head
  13. squash — to crush
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. spring — the season
  16. face — to confront
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — of water
  20. rest — a break
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. current — happening now

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