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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: staff · object · cell · current · rash · drill · scale · saw

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — a practice
  6. object — to protest
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — a series
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. current — electric
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. staff — a stick
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. drill — army training

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