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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: stem · mine · current · bass · spring · bear · drill · wake

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bass — low music
  3. spring — of water
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — a coil
  6. drill — the tool
  7. current — electric
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. drill — army training
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mine — an explosive

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