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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: current · mine · staff · wake · kid · ground · season · last

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — child
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — to go on
  12. current — electric
  13. ground — the earth
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. current — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — a position
  24. season — of the year

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