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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: toast · wound · spring · rest · land · current · clip · spell

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. land — a country
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. spring — of water
  10. toast — bread
  11. rest — a break
  12. land — ground
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spring — a coil
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. clip — a video
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — magic
  22. rest — what's left
  23. land — to come down
  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