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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: stem · current · bulb · dip · calf · wind · cold · kick

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. wind — moving air
  3. kick — in football
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bulb — for light
  7. current — electric
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cold — an illness
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — happening now
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bulb — 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