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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: rock · current · drill · hide · staff · roll · mark · wake

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mark — a trace
  3. roll — a list
  4. rock — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rock — a stone
  12. drill — army training
  13. current — of water
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — a stick
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. current — happening now
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a cake

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