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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: current · spell · bore · fan · wind · spring · ball · field

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. current — electric
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bore — to tire
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spell — letters
  20. field — farmland
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — magic
  24. bore — to drill

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