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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: field · bulb · pass · current · rock · cell · spring · bat

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cell — in biology
  17. field — a subject
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — of water
  20. rock — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — the season

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