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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: fall · mug · foot · season · file · bore · spring · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — the season
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. fall — the season
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — happening now
  14. spring — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — to tire
  18. file — a tool
  19. current — of water
  20. bore — to drill
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. foot — the bottom

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