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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: row · game · current · spring · present · wake · last · deal

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — a trail
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — the season
  5. last — to go on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — a match
  10. current — electric
  11. last — final
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. spring — a coil
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. spring — of water
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — finally
  22. current — happening now
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. deal — to handle

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