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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stem — to come from
  8. current — electric
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — to eat
  13. current — happening now
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — for betting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — of a plant

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