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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — a position
  5. key — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. current — happening now
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pop — soda
  11. ground — the earth
  12. board — a committee
  13. current — electric
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pop — music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pop — to visit

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