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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: spring · roll · current · cap · shower · plane · squash · toast

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cap — of ice
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. roll — a cake
  9. shower — to wash
  10. toast — bread
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — a lid
  13. squash — the sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. spring — the season
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — to crush
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — a tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. current — of water
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. current — happening now

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