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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: mine · root · cold · current · sharp · staff · mark · ground

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cold — an illness
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ground — crushed
  13. root — of a word
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — the cause
  23. current — happening now
  24. ground — the earth

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