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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: stick · lean · clip · mouse · current · staff · bound · fine

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. current — happening now
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — for paper
  9. current — of water
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — electric
  13. bound — obliged
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. clip — a video
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — certain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mouse — for 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