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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 124 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. ground — a position
  3. roll — a list
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. current — electric
  6. stem — to come from
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for dancing
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — to protest
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — a trail
  16. roll — a cake
  17. object — a thing
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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