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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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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: stem · bass · cold · cap · chair · temple · pop · current

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — the fish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pop — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — low music

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