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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 116 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: spring · tube · wound · current · perch · file · stand · craft

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spring — a coil
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — the season
  7. file — a tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. craft — boats
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. current — happening now
  13. stand — to bear
  14. spring — of water
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a line of people
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. current — of water
  24. tube — in a tire

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