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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: cabinet · stem · current · mug · stick · march · cell · object

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — to protest
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. current — happening now
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. current — electric
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. march — music
  24. stem — to come from

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