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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: season · current · wake · staff · bulb · cap · bowl · lie

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — happening now
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bulb — for light
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — electric
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lie — an untruth

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