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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: court · staff · current · bay · wound · toast · wave · plane

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. current — electric
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — an injury
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. current — of water
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. current — happening now
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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