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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 · arm · spring · trunk · swing · bay · wind · shower

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — of water
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — a coil
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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