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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. charge — a price
  5. current — electric
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — in biology
  10. charge — electricity
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cell — a phone
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. charge — in control
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stock — shares
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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