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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.

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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: mate · snap · current · mine · stem · lash · key · chair

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. current — electric
  3. stem — to come from
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — in music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. key — the most important part
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. current — happening now
  24. mate — a partner

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