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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: wave · spring · trunk · dip · pound · race · bulb · current

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — happening now
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. race — humankind
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. dip — a sauce

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