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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 · kid · dip · temple · can · stem · land · scale

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — to come from
  4. can — a tin
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. land — ground
  7. current — electric
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. can — to be able to
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. current — of water
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. current — happening now
  15. kid — child
  16. land — a country
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. scale — size or range
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. scale — in music
  22. land — to come down
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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