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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: saw · fall · tear · club · court · staff · current · drill

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — army training
  5. fall — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — happening now
  19. staff — a stick
  20. drill — a practice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — employees

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