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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 116 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: trunk · current · field · stem · shower · stock · ball · spell

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. field — for sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — magic
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. current — happening now
  8. ball — a dance
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. shower — rain
  13. spell — letters
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. current — electric
  18. stock — shares
  19. current — of water
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. stem — of a plant

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