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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.

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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: key · straw · race · current · wound · bound · scale · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bound — tied together
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — a contest
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — in music
  16. current — electric
  17. key — for a lock
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — in music
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — obliged
  24. scale — size or range

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