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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: lie · mine · bark · staff · swing · current · leaves · track

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. staff — employees
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. swing — music
  9. current — electric
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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