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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. track — a path
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — a song
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. kid — child
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. track — to keep track
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. kid — to tease
  13. board — a committee
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — to get on
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — to come from

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