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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: key · cell · rest · current · charge · wave · rock · plane

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. current — electric
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — the most important part
  5. current — happening now
  6. rock — music
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. current — of water
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — in music
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. charge — in control
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. charge — electricity

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