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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: can · clip · tear · stem · fall · staff · current · bowl

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — the season
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — a video
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. current — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. current — electric
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — to be able to
  17. tear — from crying
  18. current — happening now
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — for paper
  21. can — a tin
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bowl — a dish

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