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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. snap — to click
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — soda
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mine — for digging
  16. content — the amount
  17. toast — bread
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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