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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. content — happy
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — to come from
  8. field — farmland
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — shares
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. field — a subject
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mate — to breed

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