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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: wake · rash · fall · current · stem · kid · roll · can

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. current — electric
  3. kid — child
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. roll — a list
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kid — to tease
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. current — of water
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. can — to be able to
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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