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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: object · hand · wound · stem · current · dip · chest · pop

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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 — happening now
  2. pop — to visit
  3. object — an aim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hand — help
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. object — to protest
  17. pop — soda
  18. object — a thing
  19. dip — to sink
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. wound — an injury
  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