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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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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: mouse · tear · scale · staff · current · chair · lean · bound

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bound — certain
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lean — thin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a professorship

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