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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: saw · pitcher · kick · nail · spring · bulb · race · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. current — happening now
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. race — humankind
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kick — in football
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. race — a contest
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — electric
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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