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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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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. current — happening now
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tube — the underground
  6. staff — employees
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — a container
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. craft — boats
  16. staff — a stick
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. current — of water
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. current — electric

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