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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: bound · cap · stem · pop · last · bear · mark · current

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. last — to go on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. current — happening now
  12. last — final
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — electric
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pop — soda
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. pop — music
  24. current — of water

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