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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: stem · current · spell · clip · cold · bear · can · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — an illness
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — magic
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. cold — not warm
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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