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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. fine — high quality
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. current — happening now
  16. field — farmland
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — the underground
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — a subject
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tube — a container
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — from a university

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