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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.

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: pop · current · spring · bass · arm · swing · mine · drill

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — soda
  7. bass — low music
  8. swing — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. drill — a practice
  15. swing — to play on
  16. drill — army training
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spring — the season
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pop — to visit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. arm — part of the body

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