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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: kid · last · rash · current · stick · sharp · stem · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — to go on
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — happening now
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — finally
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kid — child
  14. rash — a series
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. current — electric
  20. last — final
  21. kid — to tease
  22. current — of water
  23. rest — a break
  24. stem — 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