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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: current · wound · sharp · perch · temple · stem · pitch · saw

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. current — happening now
  24. stem — to come from

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