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

Word bank: current · temple · wind · field · rest · stem · wake · key

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rest — what's left
  11. current — happening now
  12. field — a subject
  13. key — in music
  14. current — of water
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rest — a break
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. field — farmland
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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