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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.

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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: bark · fall · stick · spring · spell · current · squash · plane

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. current — of water
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — magic
  6. fall — the season
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spell — letters
  11. spring — the season
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — of water
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — electric
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fall — to drop

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