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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: bowl · leaves · race · sharp · temple · current · spring · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. current — electric
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spring — a coil
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spring — the season
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. current — of water
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a document
  21. race — a contest
  22. spring — of water
  23. race — humankind
  24. current — happening now

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