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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: shower · wind · stem · saw · current · suit · object · land

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — of water
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — a thing
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. suit — to fit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. object — an aim
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. saw — the tool
  20. suit — clothes
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — moving air

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