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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: ground · saw · current · snap · ball · mouse · scale · tear

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. current — of water
  8. tear — to rip
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — happening now
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — crushed
  16. snap — to click
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ball — a great time
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ground — the earth
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. saw — the tool

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