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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: last · pass · staff · arm · pop · current · mouse · wound

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. staff — a stick
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. last — final
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — to go on
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. staff — employees
  20. pop — soda
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pop — music
  23. last — finally
  24. staff — employees

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