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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: mouse · staff · land · key · current · cell · jam · fall

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — a country
  3. key — for a lock
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. key — the most important part
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. current — of water
  8. key — in music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — employees
  11. land — to come down
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fall — the season
  16. current — happening now
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — ground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — a phone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. current — electric

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