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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. game — wild animals
  7. staff — a stick
  8. current — happening now
  9. root — the cause
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — a match
  12. hand — help
  13. rush — hurry
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — of a word
  24. racket — a loud noise

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