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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: chest · stem · mug · temple · current · leaves · fork · bay

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — of water
  11. fork — in a road
  12. current — happening now
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. mug — a face
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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