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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — electric
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — for catching
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — happening now
  11. field — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — of water
  14. stock — shares
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stem — to come from
  17. net — in sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — farmland
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. rest — a break
  24. calf — of the leg

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