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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. key — in music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. current — happening now
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — of water
  8. field — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. row — a line
  13. stem — to come from
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — to come down
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. key — for a lock
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wax — to grow

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