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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: cold · cell · mine · staff · bore · current · bound · suit

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. current — electric
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. staff — employees
  10. suit — to fit
  11. current — happening now
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — of water
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — not warm
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cold — the Cold War

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