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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: game · stem · fall · spring · fan · key · deal · current

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fall — the season
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. current — electric
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. game — wild animals
  13. spring — of water
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. key — the most important part
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — happening now
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stem — to come from
  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