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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 116 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bulb — for light
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. court — of law
  7. bulb — for light
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — to come from
  10. current — electric
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. current — of water
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. court — of a king
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell

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