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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — finally
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — letters
  6. last — to go on
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stem — to come from
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — magic
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — a series
  21. rock — a stone
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rash — on the skin

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