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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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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: current · wake · perch · bat · rush · staff · last · roll

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. last — to go on
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — a list
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. last — final
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — a trail
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — the animal
  24. current — of water

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