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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: dip · rash · saw · bear · current · stem · fan · clip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — happening now
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — electric
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rash — a series
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to dunk

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