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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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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: face · net · foot · current · game · rash · stem · cabinet

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — a match
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rash — hasty
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. current — happening now
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — after costs
  13. current — electric
  14. net — for catching
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. game — wild animals
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — in sport

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