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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: board · nail · spring · jam · cell · last · chest · current

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. current — happening now
  11. last — finally
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chest — a box
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. board — a committee
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. spring — a coil
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. board — to get on
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — electric
  24. cell — in a prison

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