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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: cap · stem · rush · current · wake · kick · perch · cell

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cap — a hat
  12. current — electric
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. current — of water
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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