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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: pound · staff · lean · current · roll · clip · dip · file

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. staff — employees
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. staff — employees
  4. lean — to bend
  5. current — of water
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. clip — for paper
  8. roll — a cake
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a line of people
  11. roll — a list
  12. file — a document
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lean — thin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. clip — a video
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — a weight
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. clip — to cut
  22. file — a tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  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