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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. can — a tin
  6. current — of water
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. band — a ring
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. current — electric
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mate — a friend
  19. can — a tin
  20. mate — a partner
  21. tube — a container
  22. can — to be able to
  23. snap — to click
  24. current — happening now

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