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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: chest · stem · object · leaves · dip · mouse · current · track

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. dip — to sink
  7. track — a path
  8. current — of water
  9. chest — a box
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — a song
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — to keep track
  18. object — to protest
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. current — happening now
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. object — an aim
  24. dip — a sauce

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