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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 · wind · chest · snap · current · roll · stem · key

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. key — in music
  7. roll — a list
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. key — for a lock
  11. current — of water
  12. chest — of your body
  13. current — happening now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. roll — a cake
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — a thrill

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