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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 · board · mug · field · file · stem · pound · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — to get on
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a face
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. field — farmland
  11. mug — a cup
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. file — a document
  14. current — of water
  15. field — for sport
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. pound — a weight
  20. field — a subject
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — to rob
  24. board — a committee

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