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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 · court · mouse · field · stick · current · wake · bound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. current — electric
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. current — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. current — happening now
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bound — certain

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