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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: wound · current · lean · nail · bore · game · band · stem

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — happening now
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lean — to bend
  7. game — wild animals
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a music group
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — to come from
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. band — a ring
  24. bore — to drill

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