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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ruler · wound · spring · cell · wake · current · staff · trunk

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wake — a trail
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cell — a phone
  16. current — electric
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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