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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: clip · firm · bark · current · cabinet · stem · game · temple

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. firm — a company
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. firm — steady
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. game — a match
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. firm — decided
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — happening now
  16. stem — to come from
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — for paper
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. clip — to cut
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bark — of a tree

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