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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · current · bear · snap · spring · hide · stick · pitcher

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — the season
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. bear — the animal
  23. current — of water
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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