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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: club · wound · calf · spring · current · content · bowl · date

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — happening now
  5. spring — a coil
  6. club — a group
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. content — the amount
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — an injury
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. date — the fruit

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