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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.

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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: current · ground · cap · snap · firm · spell · spring · file

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a document
  3. spring — a coil
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. snap — to click
  7. firm — steady
  8. spell — letters
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cap — a hat
  14. firm — decided
  15. ground — the earth
  16. current — happening now
  17. ground — crushed
  18. firm — a company
  19. current — of water
  20. ground — a position
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. spell — magic

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