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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: racket · ground · game · wind · rash · current · trunk · stem

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. current — of water
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. current — electric
  15. game — a match
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — hasty

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