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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: season · cabinet · mug · hand · stem · swing · snap · current

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mug — a face
  7. swing — to play on
  8. snap — to click
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. season — of the year
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — to rob
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — to come from
  22. swing — music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. current — electric

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