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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · current · key · stem · bark · mine · swing · leaves

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. content — happy
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — happening now
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. content — the amount
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. swing — music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — of water
  16. key — for a lock
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. key — in music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — for digging
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — of a tree

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