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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stem — to come from
  3. current — of water
  4. mate — a partner
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. swing — music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. snap — to click
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tube — the underground
  16. field — a subject
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. field — farmland
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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