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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · current · key · ground · spell · mark · staff · cold

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mark — a grade
  8. staff — employees
  9. current — of water
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. current — electric
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — in music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cold — an illness
  21. staff — a stick
  22. current — happening now
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — to pay attention

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