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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. last — final
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. season — in sport
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. drill — army training
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mug — a cup
  17. current — electric
  18. last — to go on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — to rob
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mug — a face
  23. current — happening now
  24. tube — the underground

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