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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: capital · track · season · bear · current · stem · pop · rock

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. track — to keep track
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — of water
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bear — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. season — in sport
  14. track — a song
  15. season — of the year
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — to come from
  18. capital — money
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. rock — a stone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rock — music
  24. track — a path

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