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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 116 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: spring · scale · hide · deal · wave · current · sharp · wake

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — clever
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — to handle
  6. spring — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. current — of water
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. spring — a coil
  15. current — happening now
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. scale — in music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. hide — animal skin

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