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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. current — happening now
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pop — music
  6. current — of water
  7. net — after costs
  8. craft — a skill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — electric
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — to visit
  14. craft — boats
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — to come from
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wind — moving air

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