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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: land · staff · root · current · saw · jam · straw · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — ground
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. saw — the tool
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a word
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a hat
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. cap — of ice
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. current — electric
  24. root — of a plant

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