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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: present · staff · current · club · bat · spring · hide · land

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for dancing
  3. present — there
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — a gift
  8. club — a group
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. land — ground
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — the season

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