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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: fork · coach · content · current · file · prune · stem · wave

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. content — happy
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fork — in a road
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. file — a document
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — to come from
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a line of people
  24. content — videos and posts

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