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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.

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: mine · spell · fan · current · sharp · nail · wave · straw

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — of water
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. current — electric
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. spell — a short time
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. current — happening now
  24. spell — magic

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