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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: club · lean · spring · ground · current · snap · rock · mine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. current — of water
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — a group
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rock — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. current — electric
  12. ground — crushed
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lean — thin
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. current — happening now
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — to move gently

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