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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · pop · mine · game · kid · board · net · current

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. net — for catching
  4. kid — child
  5. game — wild animals
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — for digging
  12. board — a committee
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kid — to tease
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — to come from
  22. current — of water
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — music

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