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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
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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: field · cell · wind · current · mug · bass · root · cabinet

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mug — a face
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cell — in biology
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — a cup
  18. current — of water
  19. root — the cause
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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