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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: pop · last · drill · kick · current · season · object · stem

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — to come from
  4. current — electric
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. last — final
  8. object — to protest
  9. pop — soda
  10. season — of the year
  11. last — finally
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. current — happening now
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pop — to visit
  19. last — to go on
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. object — a thing
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. season — in sport
  24. kick — in football

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