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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: current · cold · pop · wake · fine · chip · stem · shower

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. current — electric
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wake — a trail
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. shower — rain
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — an illness
  19. current — of water
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — happening now
  22. fine — all right
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chip — for betting

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