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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 · suit · band · spring · saw · cell · stem · straw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a music group
  8. suit — clothes
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. cell — a phone
  11. spring — the season
  12. current — of water
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — electric
  20. suit — to fit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — a coil

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