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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: roll · current · spell · hand · spring · object · file · cell

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — in biology
  9. object — an aim
  10. spell — magic
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spring — the season
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. file — a line of people
  16. current — happening now
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spring — of water
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — electric
  21. roll — a list
  22. spell — letters
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a document

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