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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: hand · current · staff · ruler · straw · wave · wound · rest

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rest — what's left
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. current — happening now
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — a break
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. current — electric
  24. ruler — a monarch

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