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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · hand · lean · vault · staff · foot · current · field

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. can — a tin
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hand — in cards
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — help
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. staff — employees
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. current — of water
  12. lean — thin
  13. vault — a safe
  14. field — for sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. field — a subject
  20. current — electric
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to bend

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