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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: stand · stick · pitcher · current · roll · cabinet · club · staff

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. club — for golf
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. staff — employees
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — electric
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — happening now
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. roll — a list
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stand — on your feet
  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