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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: spring · staff · current · ball · sharp · tear · stick · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. current — happening now
  7. staff — a stick
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a great time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a dance
  23. current — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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