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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 116 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: can · face · mouse · current · stem · file · pop · wound

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. current — of water
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to point toward
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — to visit
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pop — music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. current — electric
  24. mouse — the animal

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