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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — for light
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a music group
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. march — the month
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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