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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: last · mark · arm · mine · cue · current · press · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. press — to push
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cue — a signal
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. mark — a trace
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. current — electric
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a hint
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cue — for pool
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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