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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 120 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: face · current · saw · suit · stem · straw · pop · fall

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — to fit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. current — electric
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. suit — clothes
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — the season
  23. pop — music
  24. suit — in cards

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