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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: sharp · deal · calf · staff · mark · current · row · leaves

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a line
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. sharp — clever
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. current — happening now
  16. mark — a trace
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. deal — to handle
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — a grade
  22. current — of water
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. staff — a stick

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