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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wake — a trail
  4. staff — employees
  5. cap — of ice
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. current — of water
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. current — happening now
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. current — electric
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spring — the season
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. row — a line

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