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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mug · chair · current · root · roll · straw · wake

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — of a word
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. roll — a list
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. current — of water
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. current — electric
  14. mug — to rob
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. root — of a plant
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. root — the cause
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — happening now
  22. stand — to bear
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — a cup

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