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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · kick · cap · stem · pound · racket

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — of ice
  6. current — happening now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — a weight
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. current — of water
  16. kick — in football
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pound — to hit hard

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