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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 116 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: bark · staff · court · suit · current · bay · mate · band

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — of law
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — a stick
  6. suit — in cards
  7. current — of water
  8. band — a music group
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — clothes
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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