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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. capital — a city
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — in music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. current — electric
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. scale — size or range
  18. root — of a word
  19. stem — to come from
  20. capital — money
  21. current — of water
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. can — a tin
  24. scale — for weighing

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