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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 · bowl · bank · saw · hide · game · race · current

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bank — of a river
  3. current — of water
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. race — a contest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bank — for money
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — of water
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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