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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · court · spring · root · hand · key · suit · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — clothes
  4. root — of a plant
  5. suit — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — a coil
  10. current — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. hand — in cards
  13. court — for sport
  14. spring — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a word
  18. key — for a lock
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — to fit
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — the cause
  23. key — in music
  24. current — happening now

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