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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: bound · can · cabinet · wake · current · pitcher · stem · spring

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. current — electric
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — to come from
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bound — certain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — a tin
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. spring — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — before a funeral

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