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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 120 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: root · key · band · current · deal · staff · cell · stick

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. key — for a lock
  3. staff — employees
  4. current — happening now
  5. cell — a phone
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. deal — to handle
  8. root — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. staff — a stick
  13. key — the most important part
  14. root — the cause
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — of a word
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — in biology

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