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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: clip · shower · present · stand · stick · saw · current · stem

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — of water
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. present — there
  9. clip — a video
  10. present — the time now
  11. stand — to bear
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. present — a gift
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — of a plant

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