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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: current · game · wave · dip · drill · trunk · spring · kid

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — child
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spring — of water
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — electric
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — of water
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. drill — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. spring — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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