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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 · staff · lean · clip · bank · chip · bulb · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. chip — to eat
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — thin
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — electric
  12. clip — to cut
  13. current — of water
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bank — of a river
  16. clip — a video
  17. chip — for betting
  18. current — happening now
  19. staff — employees
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bank — for money
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chip — in a computer
  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