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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: rush · current · plane · march · present · chip · swing · stem

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — to play on
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. chip — to eat
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. current — of water
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chip — for betting
  14. present — there
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. swing — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. present — the time now
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stem — of a plant
  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