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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: staff · pit · snap · cold · current · coach · band · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — electric
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. band — a music group
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. snap — to click
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cold — an illness
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. coach — a trainer

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