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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 120 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: current · rash · wake · bat · hide · fine · ruler · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — hasty
  6. current — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — in an idiom

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