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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · present · stock · pop · current · mine · fan · last

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. current — of water
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cell — in biology
  6. last — final
  7. pop — soda
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pop — music
  22. present — there
  23. stock — goods
  24. current — electric

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