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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: spring · staff · bulb · kid · racket · mug · bat · current

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. current — happening now
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mug — to rob
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — electric
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. current — of water
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. spring — the season
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — a face
  24. bat — for baseball

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