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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · fall · degree · mug · fine · craft · stem · cap

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stem — to come from
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mug — to rob
  9. craft — boats
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — of ice
  13. current — electric
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mug — a face
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — temperature
  20. current — happening now
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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