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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: cap · charge · drill · current · pop · cold · mark · stem

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — army training
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cap — a lid
  6. current — electric
  7. mark — a trace
  8. current — happening now
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cold — not warm
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cap — of ice
  20. charge — a price
  21. pop — music
  22. current — of water
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pop — soda

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