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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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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 · wind · roll · current · band · wave · kick · snap

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. roll — a list
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kick — in football
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. roll — a cake
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. band — a ring
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a music group
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wind — moving air
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wind — moving air

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