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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 · ground · spell · wound · scale · current · track · bowl

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stem — to come from
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — letters
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. current — happening now
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ground — the earth
  20. scale — in music
  21. track — a song
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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