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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. march — music
  3. spell — magic
  4. lean — thin
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — electric
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — employees
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — happening now
  14. snap — to click
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. stem — to come from
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — a stick
  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