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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 · court · staff · stand · key · current · leaves · press

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. land — ground
  3. key — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. land — to come down
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — a publisher
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — of water
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. court — for sport
  13. stand — to bear
  14. current — electric
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. press — newspapers
  18. court — of law
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. current — happening now
  21. staff — employees
  22. press — to push
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — a country

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