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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: mouse · face · current · fall · rash · board · fan · spring

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. face — to point toward
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a committee
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. board — to get on
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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