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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: bat · spell · leaves · jam · current · mine · pound · content

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. current — happening now
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — a weight

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