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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 116 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: current · stem · mine · craft · staff · present · nail · row

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. present — a gift
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — there
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — electric
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a line
  19. present — the time now
  20. current — of water
  21. craft — a skill
  22. current — happening now
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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