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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: jam · mine · shower · stem · current · dip · last · board

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. last — final
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — to get on
  9. dip — to sink
  10. current — of water
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. last — finally
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — to go on
  20. board — a committee
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mine — belonging to me

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