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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 120 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: kid · club · bass · cell · current · spell · prune · stem

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. club — a group
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bass — low music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spell — magic
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — letters
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — to come from
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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