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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: lie · wave · content · current · ground · bound · chair · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ground — crushed
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bound — tied together
  9. content — the amount
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — certain
  14. current — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — happening now
  18. ground — a position
  19. current — electric
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lie — to recline
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chair — to sit on

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