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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 · prune · scale · pitcher · stick · last · calf · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. current — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — electric
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — in music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. current — happening now
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pitcher — a jug

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