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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: stem · can · spring · press · tube · current · object · stick

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — a container
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — to be able to
  14. press — to push
  15. object — to protest
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — the season
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — of water
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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