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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. stem — to come from
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bass — low music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ground — a position
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. current — happening now
  24. bass — the instrument

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