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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 116 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: staff · current · bay · wind · pass · fan · shower · rest

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. staff — employees
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — of water
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pass — a permit
  9. current — electric
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. current — happening now
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — rain
  24. fan — a supporter

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