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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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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: fall · staff · bore · current · coach · wave · stem · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — the season
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — of water
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — a stick
  16. current — happening now
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. staff — employees
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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