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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: staff · rule · field · rash · wax · mouse · chip · current

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — for betting
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — farmland
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rash — a series
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — electric
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rule — a law
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — for sport
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chip — in a computer

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