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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. current — electric
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — to shout
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. current — of water
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. content — happy
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. current — happening now

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