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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 120 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: wound · current · cap · season · cold · mine · stick · kick

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — in sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — of water
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. current — electric
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — happening now
  24. wound — an injury

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