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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: current · file · nail · cap · hide · staff · wave · mug

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — a stick
  3. file — a line of people
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. current — of water
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a document
  11. mug — a face
  12. current — electric
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. staff — employees
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cap — a lid
  24. nail — on a finger

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