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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 120 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: current · track · stem · firm · ground · chest · bark · fan

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — electric
  6. track — a song
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. current — of water
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ground — a position
  19. bark — to shout
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ground — crushed
  23. firm — steady
  24. ground — the earth

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