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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: wind · mouse · arm · mate · spell · staff · current · content

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — happening now
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — the amount
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. spell — magic
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. staff — employees
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. current — of water
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — electric
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. staff — employees

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