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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: staff · wake · fall · saw · current · fan · ground · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — electric
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. staff — employees
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — a position
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — a trail
  21. current — of water
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fall — the season
  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