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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mate — a partner
  6. current — of water
  7. band — a music group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. current — electric
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mate — a friend
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — for catching

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