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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: stem · current · pound · dip · wind · rest

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rest — a break
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. current — electric
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. current — of water
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — a sauce

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