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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: trunk · pop · current · last · stem · kid · kick · mouse

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. last — to go on
  5. kick — in football
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. last — final
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. current — electric
  21. last — finally
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mouse — for a computer

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