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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: club · current · pitch · bark · wind · stem · rest · bulb

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bulb — for light
  20. club — a group
  21. rest — a break
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitch — a sports field

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