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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · cold · staff · current · fall · last · shower · pit

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cold — not warm
  6. staff — a stick
  7. last — finally
  8. fall — the season
  9. pit — a hole
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. current — happening now
  12. cold — an illness
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — to go on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — in a race
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — electric
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — of water
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. last — final

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