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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — to be able to
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. can — a tin
  6. file — a tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a document
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. mark — a trace
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. object — a thing
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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