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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 116 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 · tear · snap · spring · mouse · rock · land · dip

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rock — music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — to come down
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. snap — to click
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. current — electric
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — a stone

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