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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · row · bore · spring · land · suit · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. suit — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a ring
  7. current — electric
  8. land — ground
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bore — to drill
  12. squash — to crush
  13. row — to paddle
  14. current — of water
  15. land — a country
  16. band — a music group
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. spring — of water
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. suit — clothes
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — a line
  24. spring — the season

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