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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 · face · current · mug · field · lean · toast · rock

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mug — a cup
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. field — farmland
  7. lean — to bend
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mug — a face
  12. current — electric
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mug — to rob
  17. toast — bread
  18. lean — thin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rock — music
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — a subject

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