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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: staff · kick · current · dip · shower · mark · wake · wave

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mark — a trace
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kick — in football
  12. shower — rain
  13. wake — a trail
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. current — electric
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. staff — a stick
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. current — happening now

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