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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · stem · wave · rock · spring · pop · hide · current

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. current — happening now
  3. pop — soda
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. pop — to visit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. spring — of water
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rock — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. current — of water
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — music
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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