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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 120 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stem — to come from
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. current — of water
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. content — happy
  18. current — electric
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. field — for sport
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. dip — to sink
  24. field — farmland

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