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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 · temple · snap · sharp · jam · last · hide · spring

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to click
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — finally
  16. spring — a coil
  17. current — electric
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — final
  20. spring — of water
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. jam — in traffic

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