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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: mark · squash · current · arm · ground · plane · spring · rush

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. current — electric
  5. rush — hurry
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — a trace
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. plane — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. ground — a position
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. mark — a grade
  20. current — happening now
  21. spring — of water
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — the earth

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