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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. rush — hurry
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. current — happening now
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. foot — a measure

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