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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: current · swing · clip · field · stem · cap · tube · stick

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. cap — a lid
  15. clip — to cut
  16. field — farmland
  17. cap — of ice
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — a hat
  22. current — electric
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — in golf

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