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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — happening now
  5. staff — employees
  6. bore — to drill
  7. swing — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — in golf
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hand — help
  14. bore — to tire
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. current — electric
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. current — of water

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