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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 · pitcher · current · dip · wind · firm · field · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wind — moving air
  4. field — a subject
  5. spring — a coil
  6. current — happening now
  7. firm — decided
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — for sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — of water
  17. spring — of water
  18. firm — steady
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — a company
  22. current — electric
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — the season

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