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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. current — happening now
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — in sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — a trail
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — for catching
  14. current — of water
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — a list
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. roll — a cake

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