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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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Word bank
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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 · stem · toast · hand · bay · snap · bulb · spring

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — electric
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spring — of water
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. current — of water
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. toast — bread
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. spring — the season
  18. stem — to come from
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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