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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — electric
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. staff — a stick
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — of the year
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. staff — employees

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