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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · rock · spring · wave · firm · current · object · kid

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rock — music
  3. spring — the season
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. firm — decided
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — music
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. kid — child
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. firm — steady
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — of water
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wave — with your hand

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