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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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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: last · stem · bay · cabinet · wind · saw · kick · current

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stem — to come from
  5. last — finally
  6. current — of water
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. current — happening now
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. current — electric
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kick — in football
  19. last — final
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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