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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a match
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. current — electric
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. current — of water
  24. game — wild animals

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