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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — the amount
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. field — farmland
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. current — of water
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. field — a subject
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bass — low music
  22. capital — a city
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. current — electric

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