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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: leaves · deal · row · current · bass · staff · spring · root

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — a line
  7. bass — low music
  8. spring — the season
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spring — a coil
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bass — the fish
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. root — of a plant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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