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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: season · current · mouse · lie · spring · pass · foot · cold

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — of water
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cold — an illness
  5. season — in sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — of water
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cold — not warm
  24. foot — a measure

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