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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: wake · land · bear · squash · spring · leaves · rest · current

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — to come down
  11. rest — a break
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. current — of water
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — a trail
  17. current — happening now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — of water
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — the season
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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