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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: straw · dip · current · leaves · clip · kid · temple · stem

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. kid — child
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. current — electric
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — happening now
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. dip — to sink
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. kid — to tease
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — to cut

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