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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: can · shower · cell · stick · current · firm · wake · chip

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. firm — a company
  3. can — a tin
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. firm — steady
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. firm — decided
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — for betting
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — electric
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cell — a phone

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