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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: straw · fine · current · stem · root · plane · ball · wound

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. current — of water
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. fine — all right
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ball — a dance
  8. current — happening now
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a great time
  15. current — electric
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. ball — a round shape

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