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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: mug · sharp · hand · rush · staff · current · leaves · spring

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — of water
  6. mug — to rob
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — help
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — a coil
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. rush — to hurry

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