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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 116 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: key · spring · tear · current · stick · cell · stand · hand

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. tear — to rip
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — in music
  13. current — electric
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — of water
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. current — happening now
  24. spring — a coil

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