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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cell — a phone
  3. spring — the season
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — a safe
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — electric
  17. spring — of water
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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