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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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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 · jam · bore · foot · straw · cell · wake · deal

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. foot — a measure
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cell — a phone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — of water
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — a trail
  20. deal — to handle
  21. current — happening now
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cell — in biology

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