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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.

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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: track · cabinet · club · ground · current · spring · arm · tear

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. ground — crushed
  3. club — a group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. track — a song
  6. spring — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — electric
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ground — a position
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spring — the season
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spring — a coil
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ground — the earth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. track — a path
  22. club — for golf
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. current — of water

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