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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: toast · shower · last · stem · season · lie · current · pitch

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. shower — rain
  3. last — final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — of water
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — finally
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — to recline
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — to go on
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. season — in sport
  22. toast — bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  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