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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fine — all right
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fine — high quality
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. current — of water
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. land — ground
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. current — electric
  20. bass — low music
  21. stem — to come from
  22. net — after costs
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bass — the fish

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