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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: stem · kick · hide · court · current · spell · lean · shower

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lean — to bend
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. current — of water
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spell — magic
  12. kick — in football
  13. court — for sport
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — letters
  17. court — of law
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. current — happening now
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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