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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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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 · cold · swing · capital · fine · fork · pass · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pass — a permit
  7. swing — music
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — all right
  11. current — happening now
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. capital — money
  24. stem — to come from

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