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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — electric
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — farmland
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. suit — to fit
  14. current — of water
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — for sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. suit — in cards
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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