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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · chest · current · row · wake · staff · stick · mark

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. current — electric
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chest — a box
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chest — of your body
  12. current — happening now
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a line
  16. staff — a stick
  17. current — of water
  18. plane — a tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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