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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: rush · snap · current · staff · pop · patient · spring · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. current — happening now
  4. spring — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — soda
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pop — to visit
  11. current — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — a coil
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — the season
  20. chair — a leader
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rush — to hurry

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