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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · pop · saw · rule · degree · current · bound · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rule — government
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bound — tied together
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — certain
  16. pop — soda
  17. bound — obliged
  18. current — electric
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. pop — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. degree — from a university

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